


Just Acquaintances

by charisetter



Category: Underagents (Webcomic), Underagents | Sugar and Spies (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Whump, frienemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charisetter/pseuds/charisetter
Summary: Jane is captured while on a mission but Lizzie and Elise rescue her and bring her back to base. What no one was prepared for is how upset afraid 5 is. As they each deal with their Alpha's injuries in their own ways, 5 has to come to grips with how much he actually cares for Jane Thomas.
Relationships: 5 and Jane Thomas, 5/Jane Thomas, Jane Thomas and 5, Jane Thomas/5, Lizzy Evans and Tom Robinson, Lizzy Evans/Tom Robinson, Tom Robinson and Lizzy Evans, Tom Robinson/Lizzy Evans
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is based on the series Underagents by Paige Keeper. If you haven't read it, go check it out at https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/underagents/chapter-1-cover/viewer?title_no=208569&episode_no=1 and then come back and join us.

The office door opened slowly as if someone were uncertain about whether to enter or not. “Sir, there’s been a complication with the Chimera’s latest mission,” Aoki said, a tremor in her voice.

5 looked up from the paperwork in front of him, “Given their track record, I am going to need you to be slightly more specific.”

“One of our operatives was captured. She was held and tortured for the past 8 hours. Her teammates were able to rescue her and are bringing her in now, but there’s no telling what kind of damage has been done.”

5 stared at the young agent in front of him for a long while in an attempt to understand what she was trying to say. “What do you mean ‘damage?’ How badly is she hurt? For that matter, which operative are you referring to? Last I checked there were three females on that mission.”

“Er, yes, three females, it was Agent Capricorn. No information on her condition as of yet, but Agent Draco mentioned that she fell unconscious as soon as the plane took off.” Aoki fiddled with her tablet desperately wishing to be anywhere else. She had learned Mr. 5 could be a little unpredictable when it came to Agent Capricorn. “Agent Aeneid has sent you a note on what we know so far. It's not good, sir.”

“Is she stable?”

“Oh...we actually don't know that yet. I meant the being held and tortured part. Sir, she could have revealed any number of secrets.”

“You honestly think that’s a priority right now? An agent is down. Brief Doc and make sure everything is ready the moment they land.” 5 struggled to keep his voice even, after a few breaths he added, “We’ll deal with any leaks after she’s had a chance to be stabilized.”

Agent Honoka paused, unsure whether he had dismissed her yet, “It’s just that, last month, when a similar situation occurred, you specifically told me that security was the number one priority…” her voice faded as 5’s glare became more intense.

“Firstly, if I recall correctly, during that mission, there were a few minor injuries, but nothing major enough to cause the injured party to pass out. Secondly, the Hydras are one of our most senior teams; the number of secrets available for them to reveal is quite substantial compared to the rather junior level of the Chimeras.” 5 Stared at his assistant for several more seconds, “If that is all, Aoki-san?”

“Oh, yes, Sir. I’ll go brief Doc.” The door all but slammed shut in her escape.

5 sighed and went back to reviewing his paperwork. Miss Thomas being injured was less than ideal. For one thing, she was practically the only person thus far who could keep her team from imploding, and he did not mean that figuratively. On the other hand, Aoki-san was right. Despite the team being junior, he had become rather close to Miss Thomas in recent months. His continued instance that they were mere acquaintances was meant more as reminders for himself rather than a statement of fact. Miss Thomas was privy to more than she probably realized and any counterintelligence who was looking into S.P.Y. would have noticed that. And yet, despite the danger to the agency, 5 was surprised to discover he was still more concerned for her well being than what could have possibly gotten out. 

“Don't do this, 5,” he said to himself. “Don't let this get personal. Your concern is for the Agency. You have hundreds of Agents to look out for. The next Elias must be impartial.” He repeated the mantra to himself a few more times to no avail. In a huff, he grabbed a stack of reports and started pacing the room. Perhaps the dual task of walking and reading would be enough to keep his mind on the task at hand. Five minutes passed. Maybe. The analog clock above his desk ticked loudly. Maybe. Ten more minutes crawled by. Maybe. Not at all. He threw the papers back on his desk in disgust. Something was clearly wrong with him. He remembered nothing he had read in the past fifteen minutes. Perhaps Aoki-san had slipped him a memory inhibitor when she brought him his tea...But she hadn’t brought him any tea, he was insistent on acquiring his own meals and beverages as a precaution against such an occasion. No, his memory was fine. It was his focus that troubled him.

He sat back down and opened his tablet.

“Mister 5, what do you need?” Tom’s profile was highlighted with a bluish tint by the many screens in front of him.

“I need to know the Chimera’s ETA and any additional information you may have learned in the past half hour.” 5 forced himself to lean back in his chair in a relaxed position while Tom tapped away at the keys in front of him.

“Estimated touch down in ten minutes, sir.”

“Thank you, is Doc ready to receive her? I mean, Miss Thomas?”

“As far as I can tell, everyone is as ready as they can be without more data.”

5 nodded, “Thank you, please keep me updated…”

“Sir?” Tom interrupted, “I’m worried too, but she’s strong. I’m sure she’ll be ok.”

5 blinked, “Yes, I’m sure you’re correct.”

Tom smiled reassuringly before signing off.

“She’ll be ok.” 5 said to himself. He stared at the stack of files, case reports, and agent assessments begging to be completed, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus until he knew Jane would be ok. He smirked to himself. It was Miss Thomas, not Jane. He couldn’t slip up even to himself. He watched the clock crawl by at an infinitesimally slow pace. Five more minutes...four and a half...four...three and three quarters...three and a half...three...he couldn’t wait anymore. Frustrated with his own lack of patience he stalked out of his office.

Agent Honoka started at his sudden appearance, “Oh, sir, did you need something?”

5 slowed but didn’t stop. “Not right now, thank you Aoki-san. Please reschedule all of my appointments for this afternoon, I am going to be out this afternoon and I’m not sure when I will return.”

Agent Honoka ran to catch up to him, “You’re going to see her...aren’t you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Jane Thomas...Agent Capricorn?”

“She is injured, I need to see how bad it really is.”

“It’s just that, usually you wait for Doc’s report…”

“Miss Honoka, isn’t there something else you need to be doing? I recall a specific report you promised to have on my desk an hour ago.”

Aoki stopped dead in her tracks swallowing hard, “Yes, sir,” she said meekly before turning on her heal.

5 felt a little bad for leaving her in the dust, but he had somewhere he needed to be and little patience for amateur surveillance techniques at that very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally made this as a one shot, but I think I'm going to make it longer. Leave a comment if you have ideas to share or characters you want to see.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to upload new chapters on Fridays from now on. No promises on updates when the school year starts, though.

5 made it to the main hanger just in time to see the plane land. He silently thanked the pilot for withstanding any and all of Miss Evan’s attempts to get them back faster. “Bins, make a note to discuss Miss Evan’s bargaining techniques with the Chimera’s pilot.”

Doc and two attendants were standing by with a gurney as soon as the loading doors opened. From where he was standing, 5 couldn't make out any words, but he didn’t need to. The fact that neither Miss Evans nor Mademoiselle Deanne were able to be heard meant things were very serious indeed. Their arguments were usually loud enough for the whole base to hear, much less a single hangar. The attendants took the gurney and disappeared into the aircraft. Less than a minute later they were back with Miss Thomas strapped securely down.

“Any news yet?” Tom had rolled up beside him while he watched.

5 winced, he should have never been so engaged in his observations as to completely miss someone coming up behind him. “No, they just landed.”

“Should we help?”

5 hesitated. He wanted nothing more than to rush into the midst of the crowd gathering around the little group and do something, anything, to help, but logic told him that would be unwise. “No, there’s nothing for us to do right now.” He watched a little forlornly as Doc rushed Jane away to the medical facilities.

“Lizzy! Elise!” Tom shouted, waving them over. After a quick glance in their direction, they heaved their respective backpacks and pushed their way over through the crowd. “How is she?” Tom asked beating 5 to the question by mere milliseconds.

“Not good,” Elise said. “Her pulse was erratic the whole flight back. We managed to slow the bleeding but…” she trailed off. 

5 looked to Lizzy to finish the story but she just hung her head. He noticed ash and grease on both girls and the faint hint of smoke coming from Lizzy’s tool belt. “What happened out there?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

The girls looked at each other sadly. “It was my fault,” Lizzy started.

“Non, amie.”

5 raised a single eyebrow in surprise. Not only were the two being civil, but was that a term of endearment he just heard? He glanced at Tom who wore a similar expression. His friend looked up at him and beckoned him closer. 5 dropped to one knee. “Mister 5,” Tom said in a lowered voice, “They look ready to drop. Is there a way they could give you a report later?”

5 nodded, but he didn't look particularly pleased, “Both of you get showered and rest. As soon as you feel up to it, preferably before tonight, I want to hear that story.”

“Yes, sir,” Lizzy said. Elise nodded agreement, too tired to speak more.

As 5 left Lizzy asked, “What’s up with him? Since when does he come personally to welcome us back?”

“It’s not like this is his first time meeting you in the hangar after your missions,” Tom said.

“Yeah, but that was our first mission and he was honestly more worried about the plane than us, I think. He stopped showing up every time once he assigned us a pilot.” The little group slowly made their way to the living quarters.

“He was pretty worried about you guys, he even called me to give him an update. I didn't have anything, of course, but it was out of the norm.” Tom said.

“Non, he was not worried about us, he was worried about Jane,” Elise said.

“Well, yeah, we all are…” Lizzy started.

Elise turned a sleepy smile on her, “I will bet you it is not the same kind of worry.”

“That’s nonsense, what other kinds of worry is there other than just plain old worry worry?” Lizzy shook her head, but she didn't have the energy to do much more than that.

“You two shower and rest,” Tom interrupted their argument. “I’m going to go get something from the mess for you.”

“I appreciate your priorities.” Lizzy squeezed his hand in gratitude before disappearing into her room.

“Merci,” Elise smiled and disappeared as well.

Within the hour Tom had returned. Both girls were relaxed on Elise’s couch. A movie was playing, but neither one was really watching it. The audio was so low all they could hear was a low buzz. Lizzy was wearing a clean pair of jeans and a new t-shirt, her tool belt was beside her and she was fiddling with something on it. Elise wore a lavender jumpsuit, a matching scarf was draped across the couch, but she hadn’t put it on.

“Y’all ok?” Tom asked.

“Famished, but clean at last,” Elise said, taking the tray of food from his lap.

“Has Doc said anything yet?” Lizzy asked.

Tom shook his head sadly, “I went to the medical center first for any information. They’re not letting any visitors in yet, but I overheard someone mention she might need surgery. They were giving her blood transfusion when I left.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Lizzy looked down at her food. “Suddenly I’m not hungry anymore…”

“I agree.”

“Maybe you two should get some sleep…”

“I don't think I can sleep right now, not while Jane is possibly in surgery.”

“We should go talk to 5 while we wait,” Elise suggested

“Really?” Tom asked, “You sure you’re up to it?”

“Oui, 5 will be the first to know of any developments in Jane’s condition.”

“True...I like how you think, frog. Let’s do it.” Lizzy smirked.

Tom shook his head but followed the two out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: promises to post on Fridays.  
> Also me: completely forgets what day of the week it is as soon as I post...
> 
> Sorry for the delay, everyone!

“Sir, the Chimera’s are asking to give you their report in person.” Aoki said into the intercom.

“Thank you, send them in, please.” 5 straightened the untouched files on his desk.

“...Are you sure?”

“Aoki-san, would I have asked you to send them in if I wasn’to?” 5 rubbed the bridge of his nose as he was prone to do when he was worried or frustrated. In this scenario, he was both.

“It’s just that…”

5 dropped his voice dangerously low, “You are going to want to quit questioning every action I take if you value your position.”

There was a small gasp and a pause, then, “I’ll send them in, sir.”

Lizzy burst through the door like one of her weapons, but Elise had a more delicate approach. She took one look at him and covered her mouth in shock. “C'est pas possible! 5, why are you in such a state? Oh, cher, it is worse than I thought.”

5 had risen to greet them, but paused at her outburst. “Pardon?”

“Where are your clothes?”

“Don't make it sound so weird,” Lizzy smacked her counterpart, “It's just a suit jacket. He probably took it off because it's so warm in here.”

“Oh, well pardon moi, have you ever seen him without it? A lady has standards, non?”

“Imagine her outburst if you’d taken off your tie or waistcoat. Geeze, woman, get a grip.” Lizzy rolled her eyes and plopped down into one of the chairs at the desk.

“I see they’re back to arguing.” 5 said to Tom.

“Yes, sir. Started as soon as they got a little bit of energy back.” Tom shrugged.

5 nodded, “Ladies, if we can get started?” He rolled up his sleeves as he sat back down. Elise started to gasp dramatically at this but Lizzy kicked her. “Now then, start from the beginning. Your last check in stated you were arriving on site.”

Lizzy nodded, “We got there easily enough. The situation became unstable only after we had almost accomplished all of our objectives…”

* * *

_“Did you get the harddrive, Draco?” Jane asked, dragging her last opponent off to the side._

_“Oui, and the override key from the front desk as well.” Elise let a key card dangle from her fingers as a smirk filled her face._

_“Awww, how come she gets to show off her skills all the time, but when I want to do the same thing words like ‘endangering humanity’ and ‘put the blow torch away’ get thrown around?”_

_“Maybe it has something to do with the numerous burn complaints in HR?” Jane rolled her eyes._

_“You don't mind, though.”_

_“The way I was raised, you either found a way to be flame retardant, or you didn’t survive.” Jane laughed. “Come on, Leo, maybe we can find something small for you to blow up on our way out. 5 doesn’t have to know if it's small enough, right?”_

_Lizzy beamed, Elise rolled her eyes._

* * *

5 glanced between the two girls carefully, “Does she disobey me like this often?”

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘disobeying’ so much as ‘keeping her team happy instead of tearing each other apart.’” Tom scratched the back of his neck. “It’s a leadership tactic, I think.”

5 stared at him, “If you say so.” He wrote something on his notepad and checked Bins for any updates from Doc (there were none) before motioning for the girls to continue.

“Well, we started to leave the facility but something caught my eye,” Lizzy started again.

* * *

_“Leo, hurry up! Our ride will be here any minute!” Elise half whispered, half yelled._

_“Patience is a virtue, didn’t anyone ever teach ya that at manners school?” Lizzy’s attempt at a whisper was about the equivalent of a nuclear reaction. “Look at this tech! There’s got to be some of the best market value in here...Hey, Capricorn, was this in the file?”_

_Jane paused up front before coming back to where Lizzy stood. “I don't know too much about weapons, that’s your specialty, but I don't recall anything in the reconnaissance report about them.”_

_“I didn’t see them either, and I tend to remember this stough.”_

_“Does it make much of a difference?”_

_“Uh, yeah. 5 would definitely have wanted to know about these.”_

_Jane paused, uncertain what to do next. “What do you want to do with them then?”_

_“What I want to do is steal them all and then take them apart back on base but we don't have time for that right now.”_

_“So...blow them up?”_

_“Blow them up.” Lizzy grinned mischievously._

_Jane sighed, “Ok, but do it as quickly and as quietly as you can. This was supposed to be a stealth mission, after all.”_

_“You are asking her to explode something...quietly?” Elise looked skeptical._

_Jane shrugged in defeat, “If these are as bad as she’s saying they are, I don't see that we have any other choice…”_

_“Non, you are right, it was your choice in words that I was questioning.”_

_Jane glared at her._

_“I could use a little help here, if you two are done yapping.”_

_“What is it?”_

_“Draco, you think you can pick this lock with that special override key or yours?” LIzzy asked._

_“It is not considered picking a lock if I already have a key,” ELise rolled her eyes._

_Lizzy tossed a charger to Jane. “Once she gets that door open, set this on the far wall. It’s remote detonated so just press the red button and get back out.”_

_“What is it with you and big red buttons?” Elise asked, swiping the card. The door opened silently and Jane ran past them._

_“Like I’ve said before, the best things in life come from pushing big red buttons.” Lizzy beamed up at her. “Capricorn, that’s good, now get out of here!” Lizzy and Elise ran back down the corridor, Jane right behind them._

_“Leo, as soon as we're out of range, detonate. It might be the distraction we need to get to the airfield.” Jane said, a little out of breath._

_“5 is not going to like this,” Elise said under her breath._

_“Yeah, but since when is he a fan of anything I do?” Lizzy laughed._

_The three of them emerged from the building into the waning twilight. “Take cover under these crates,” Lizzy pushed her teammates off to the side then ducked down next to them._

_“Hurry,” Jane peered over Lizzy’s shoulder to see what was happening._

_“Just...a few...more...seconds…” An explosion almost knocked the three girls over. “Remind me to reevaluate that blast radius when we get home,” Lizzy shook her head to clear it._

_“Come on!” Elise dragged her to her feet as they started running again. The base was in chaos, people were running in every direction, no one paid the slightest attention to a few girls in stealth suits. “She was right, it was a good distraction.” The girls boarded their plane and shouted for their pilot to take off._

* * *

“It wasn’t until we were in the air that we noticed Jane was gone.” Lizzy said somewhat subdued. 

She was about to go on when Elise stopped her, “Wait, something’s happened.”


End file.
